Wanted
by SkyGem
Summary: Of all the things that set Baratie apart, the one that mystifies her the most is the sheer number of wanted posters they have lying around. Two-shot. Future fic. Outsider pov. No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

She's been working at the Baratie for one month now, and she still hasn't found a way to ask about it – about the first thing that had caught her eye the moment she'd stepped onto this restaurant on the sea.

Baratie is a charming restaurant, and though it's far from small, there never seems to be enough room to keep up with its booming popularity. It has dozens of sister restaurants all over East Blue, and even a few beginning to establish themselves in the other Blues. Many of the restaurants are huge, and the one she works at, the reason she worked herself to the bone in culinary school, the one you have to book reservations for more than months in advance, is the biggest of them all, so big it's a wonder it can even float.

It's their flagship store, the headquarters where the owner and head chef, Zeff, lives, and every one of its employees take pride in its elegance, it's beauty, it's peaceful atmosphere-

"AND DON'T LET ME SEE YOU AROUND HERE AGAIN, YOU MISERABLE SEA URCHIN!"

…whenever their assistant head chef isn't smacking people around, that is.

She sighs and shakes her head in exasperation. Just who does she think she's kidding?

Fights aren't exactly uncommon on Baratie, as there seems to be no shortage of pirates who underestimate the strength of chefs of the sea. The customers seem to enjoy watching the fights as well.

But of all the things that set Baratie apart, the one that mystifies her the most is the sheer number of wanted posters they have lying around. There are stacks of them for anyone to take with them if they want, and there's even a whole wall dedicated to them, all showing the same, infamous pirate crew.

The Strawhat Pirates.

The same ten faces, the same coy smiles and bone-chilling glares stare out from nearly a hundred wanted posters hung carefully from the walls.

Some of the posters are new, cut out of newspapers just a few weeks ago, when this outrageous little pirate crew claimed One Piece for themselves, and the title of Pirate King for their young captain. And others are already old enough to be yellowing at the corners. From Strawhat's and Roronoa's very first posters, to the one with the with the poorly drawn portrait of Blackleg, to the one of Tony Tony Chopper with the hilariously low bounty from before the marines had realized he was more than just a pet, every single one of the Strawhats' wanted posters over the years are there.

Each one has been carefully cut out and hung neatly on the wall in chronological order, almost like a timeline of their adventures, and observers can watch the captain and his crew grow in each of their pictures, right along with their bounties. And throughout it all, Strawhat Luffy smiles that same bright smile of his, a smile like he's never known hurt. There are a few other posters too, of allies of the Strawhats, of Luffy's older brothers, of his mentors, Shanks and Rayleigh. But these aren't given nearly the same amount of care and attention as those of Strawhat and his crew.

Head Chef Zeff's strange obsession doesn't stop there either – every one of Baratie's branch restaurants proudly flies the Strawhats' jolly roger, claiming themselves as a part of the pirate king's territory.

And normally, that would be enough to keep all but the most foolish of troublemakers away. But in the five years the Strawhats have been making news in the Grand Line (the last two of which they'd spent in the New World), they haven't once come back to East Blue, despite their captain and four others in their crew reportedly having been raised there. Baratie and her sister restaurants are the only ones in any of the Blues that fly the Strawhats' flag (though there are said to be quite a few islands in the Grand Line that are under their protection), and there are some that seem to be of the belief that the flags are a bluff.

Not that it matters.

Their chefs can easily chase away any pirates looking to cause some trouble.

"Aria!" someone suddenly snaps, startling her out of her thoughts.

The assistant head chef, Carne, is standing in front of her, hands on his hips and a formidable glare on his face.

"If you have time to be standing around daydreaming, get to work!" he snaps. "We're shorthanded enough as it is, and our _special guests_ will be arriving any moment now!"

"Sorry, sir!" replies Aria, hurrying to do as told.

She'd almost forgotten about their _special guests._

Nobody except Zeff seems to know who they are, just that they are of the utmost importance.

Several of their best tables, situated right next to the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the patio, have been reserved for the day, and the whole area looks absolutely enchanting. The table is awash in sunlight, filtering in through the gauzy curtains, and the view of the sparkling blue sea is breathtaking, as if mother nature herself is eager to please their _special guests_. The surrounding tables have been moved slightly away, to give the illusion of privacy, and all the dishes and cutlery have been polished to perfection.

Half the kitchen staff is busy tending to their customers, and the other half (including those who would normally have had the day off) are busy running around, making mountains of food for the _special guests_. More food than they could possibly eat, in Aria's humble opinion.

Not that she's going to say anything.

No one would listen to her anyway.

Aria and the other chefs have all asked, multiple times, who exactly their guests are, but every time they ask, Zeff just smiles secretively at them, saying it's a surprise.

Aria is in the middle of making sure everything is okay with the tables, that all the chairs are arranged just so, when it happens.

A sudden murmuring starts up among the guests, startled whispers of _"Is it really him?"_ and _"What on Earth is HE doing in East Blue?"_ and _"Please tell me the rest of the crew isn't here!"_

Whirling around, Aria is ready to call some of the other chefs for help if the newcomer gets violent, but all the air whooshes out of her as she sees who's standing there.

Standing just inside the entrance, tall and imposing despite his slim build, is a man Aria would recognize just about anywhere.

His silky blond hair and outrageously curly eyebrows, his confident smirk and immaculate black suit – she's seen it all before a million times.

Black Leg Sanji has come to Baratie.

* * *

SkyGem: And that's a wrap for this chapter! Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and please do leave a review and let me know what you thought! I'd really appreciate it! The next chapter should be out in a couple of days! And if you liked this fic, please check out the ASL brothers Marine AU I recently started as well!


	2. Chapter 2

Aria's mind starts racing, trying to figure out what on Earth one of the Strawhat Pirates is doing in Baratie. Could they have heard about Zeff flying their flag and come to confront him about it?

Black Leg doesn't **seem** very upset. He's looking around the restaurant almost curiously, ignoring the fearful customers and the stuttering maitre d'. When his eyes land on the wall of wanted posters, they widen in shock for a moment , before his lips pull into an almost fond smile. It makes him look almost sweet, completely unlike his ruthless reputation.

Then, his eyes continue roving over the restaurant, and when they come to rest on Aria, the smile from before morphs into something confident and charming. Aria stands, rooted to her spot, while Black Leg gives her a suggestive wink, before turning back to the poor maitre d', who is usually more than a match for the pirates that like to trouble them, but who seems to have lost his nerve when faced with the pirate king's head chef.

A hush falls over the restaurant as everyone waits to see what he has to say.

With his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes half-lidded, he looks the very picture of nonchalance, but his voice brings a chill to the air when he says, "Bring me the owner of this shitty restaurant."

Aria feels her heart thud painfully in her chest, her fear rising. That doesn't sound good.

"The owner, sir?" asks the maitre d', his voice impressively stable as he ignores the jibe.

Black Leg raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, he says. "You know, the crappy head chef, Zeff?"

Okay, yeah, definitely not good news. The very fact that he knows Zeff's name is a testament to how much they must hate him. Aria prays her hotheaded boss won't come out of the kitchen any time soon. Knowing him, he would probably just add fuel to the fire.

And then, almost as if the heavens have heard her and instead of granting her prayer have decided to play a cruel joke on her, the doors to the kitchen open, and Carne steps out.

Their assistant head chef is very nearly as hotheaded as their boss and at the moment, his expression is thunderous, probably wondering what on Earth is taking Aria so long.

Aria watches as Carne notices their new guest, and his eyes widen comically, his expression dumbfounded.

"What the hell are YOU doing here?" he exclaims, dashing all Aria's hopes of this confrontation ending peacefully. She watches with her heart in her throat as Black Leg's eyes flicker over to Carne.

And then, miracle of miracles, a smile crosses his face.

"Carne!" he exclaims, "You still here, you old bastard? Thought you'd have been fired by now!"

He looks startlingly happy, despite his words, and as the fear in the room turns to confusion, Aria wonders – hopes – that she's misunderstood Sanji's actions until now.

"Think again, you little beansprout," answers Carne, his voice gruff, but happy. "Assistant head chef."

Sanji's eyebrows raise in surprise as he takes a slow step forward. "No kidding?" he asks. "The old man must've finally lost his mind, to make someone like you the assistant head chef."

Carne rolls his eyes at this, also stepping forward. "Say what you want, it doesn't change the fact that Baratie is way more successful than it ever was while you were assistant head chef."

Aria chokes, thinking she **must** have heard wrong.

But a quick look around at the dumbfounded expressions around the room tells her she's heard perfectly.

The two men continue their conversation, as if they haven't just broken everyone's minds, and Aria struggles to wrap her mind around the fact that _the_ Black Leg Sanji once worked at this very restaurant.

The thought is too surreal.

"HA!" laughs Sanji, and she struggles to bring her attention to the really very interesting meeting (reunion?) taking place in the middle of the restaurant. "That's because they must be hoping I'll return some day," quips Sanji. "A vain hope, unfortunately. Can't afford to leave that idiot crew of mine alone. They'd starve within a day."

By now, they're both standing in front of each other, but instead of throwing out a witty reply, Carne chuckles in amusement , and pulls Sanji into a rough embrace.

A shocked murmuring has broken out among the customers, steadily growing in volume. But when the two men pull out of their embrace, it quiets again.

"So? You still haven't told me what you're doing here," says Carne, speaking up, and Sanji's lips pull up into a smirk.

"We're here to eat of course," he answers, and Aria watches as Carne puts all the pieces together in his head, sees the realization dawn on his face at the same time it does for her.

"WHAT!?" shrieks Carne, loud enough to be heard in the kitchen. "YOU are the special guest?"

Sanji smirks, but before he can reply, the doors to the kitchens open, and some of the other chefs step out to see what all the commotion is. Some of them, like Aria, are shocked and fearful upon seeing the infamous chef standing in the middle of their restaurant.

But then Patty steps out, and he's one of the few that have been working at Baratie practically forever now, and a wide grin stretches his lips when he sees the pirate, and he cries out, "SANJI!"

And suddenly, there's a scrambling, there are shouts of shock, there are a dozen chefs trying to get through the kitchen doors all at once. They step forward with enthusiastic greetings and arms open for embraces.

Sanji grimaces and scowls, barbed words are thrown around in gruff voices, but they're so full of affection, Aria is taken aback. She feels slightly uncomfortable, watching such an intimate reunion.

Patty and Sanji seem to be having a competition of who can come up with the most creative insults when the doors to the kitchen swing open, and Zeff steps out.

"Owner Zeff!" calls out one of the chefs. "You should have told us Sanji and his crew were our _special guests_! If we knew, we wouldn't have put so much effort into preparing their table!"

Even Aria knows that is a blatant lie.

"Yeah!" agrees Patty. "Now dartboard here is going to be under the impression we actually care about him!"

Aria doesn't really hear what Zeff says in reply; she's too taken aback at the look on his face, so full of fierce pride and affection, and that's when she finally understands.

Sanji isn't just a former employee dropping by for a chat.

He's Zeff's protégé.

His legacy.

He's a son returning home.

When they're within reaching distance of each other, Zeff folds the younger male into a tight embrace, and no one mentions it when the hug lasts just a little too long, or when both men's eyes look just a little teary when they step back.

Instead, Zeff asks, "Where's that captain of yours then? My chefs have been working all morning to make sure there's enough for him to eat, so don't you tell me he hasn't come after all!"

Sanji barks out a laugh in reply.

"As if my idiot captain would ever pass up good food!" he says. "Last I checked, he was still asleep. We were fighting off marines the entire way here, and the idiot tired himself out. The others are trying to w-"

"MEEEAAATT!"

Aria jumps, startled, as the doors of the Baratie burst open, interrupting Sanji, and a certain young pirate king bounces in and right onto Sanji's back, winding his arms multiple times around his chef's neck, and his legs around the man's waist.

"Sanji! Ossan! I want MEAT! Is the meat ready yet?" he calls by way of greeting, and the chefs all laugh in amusement. The customers, also, seem to have gotten over the fact that the infamous Straw Hat pirates are in East Blue.

"You haven't changed a bit, brat," replies Zeff, smacking the young captain on the head, and Aria feels her heart stop. Zeff might very well be one of the only people in the world that can get away with doing that to Strawhat Luffy.

"One would think the pirate king would have better manners," chides Zeff.

"We get that a lot," says a new voice then, tinkling with laughter, and Aria turns to see the rest of the Strawhats are entering.

In the lead are Cat Burglar Nami and Devil Child Nico Robin, arms entwined and laughing. Cotton Candy Lover Chopper is riding in the latter's arms, dozing with his head against her shoulder.

Right behind them are Cyborg Franky and Sniper King Usopp, looking around in wonder.

And bringing up the rear are Pirate Hunter Zoro, Soul King "Humming" Brook, and Knight of the Sea Jinbe, all seeming to be deep in discussion about something of the utmost importance.

They're a happy little crew dressed all in bright colours, all of them laughing and happy, and maybe just a little bit crazy.

Not that they care.

They have the very world at their fingertips.

They have love in their hearts, joy in their eyes, and youth in their bones.

And suddenly, Aria thinks, it isn't quite so hard to see why Zeff holds so much respect for them.

* * *

 _ **Fin**_

* * *

SkyGem: Thanks again for taking the time to read, and I really do hope you all enjoyed! I would appreciate it if you'd leave a review letting me know what you thought! And once again, if you enjoyed this fic, please check out my marines!AU.

Bye for now!


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